Hall of Famer Perry, spitball master, dies at 84
Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday. He was 84.
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R.I.P., Gaylord Perry (84)
- Thread starter BobPSU92
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Odd remembrance, when I lived in So. Carolina one day I wandered into Gafney a small town. For no apparent reason I stopped to watch a college baseball game. The manager of the home team looked familiar, and a fan next to me said that’s Gaylord Perry. No, Perry and I didn’t talk, so I can’t relay pearls of wisdom. He just looked like a down home country boy enjoying a second life in the game.
As a kid in the 70s, I was at a friend's house watching a baseball game on TV, and Perry was playing. His mom ran into the room and told us to turn it off, because "the Lord is not Gay". Yeah.....she was not a spors fan.
True story.
True story.
I was fortunate enough to sit with Gaylord at a pre-all star game luncheon in Pittsburgh. He was long retired at that point. You are correct in your assessment of him. He had great insight into the game of baseball and answered many questions related to comparison of the game in the 60's to later times. To a young Pirates fan at the time, those Giants teams back then were fearful. So many weapons. To your point though, I think Gaylord enjoyed talking fishing at that point more than he did baseball. Seemed like a great guy. Sorry to hear this.
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Sure, he may have doctored a ball or two but, as noted, part of his repertoire was playing a head game so people THOUGHT he was doctoring the ball.
RIP Gaylord Had quite the careerHall of Famer Perry, spitball master, dies at 84
Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday. He was 84.
For all the distraction he created, it is lost a bit to most as to how good a pitcher he was. Those years where he was stacked behind Marichal made them a fearsome 1-2 punch for some great Giants teams. Brother Jim who won a Cy is still living at age 87.
The most entertaining pitcher to watch EVER!!! RIP.Hall of Famer Perry, spitball master, dies at 84
Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday. He was 84.
Around 20 years ago when I was working in the insurance industry (California) for a smaller insurance company, I was working late one night to finish up a project when the night bell went off. At the time we were very busy and the claims department was swamped due to the influx of business. I answered the call and there was a lady on the other end calling about an open claim. Her insurance company (AAA) had a subrogation claim in which they were trying to recover her deductible.
She had a claim number which I used to retrieve her claim information. When the claim came up on the system, I noticed the name was Jim Maloney. I jokingly inquired whether the he was the Jim Maloney who played for the Cincinnati Reds, to which she replied yes it is, "would you like to speak to him?". I responded sure and she passed the phone to him.
His demeanor was somewhat surley which given his reputation as a head-hunter was not surprising. My recollection of our conversation was; 1) He loathed the DH because opposing pitchers did not have to worry about coming to the plate after coming in too far inside on an opposing player, 2) One of his 3 no-hitters was taken because he only pitched 8 1/3 innings. The winning run scored in the bottom of the 9th without the benefit of a hit. MLB had subsequently changed the definition of a no-hitter to include, '"must ptch a full 9 innings". and 3) he had a heavy dislike of Gaylord Perry, called him a cheater who had no business being in MLB. He was the only player that I recall Mr. Maloney citing by name. Don't recall whether he had any personal interactions with Gaylord Perry.
The next day I visited the claims manager and requested that the claim be handled expeditiously since after reviewing the file it appeared that the documentation provided by AAA was sufficient to prove their claim. About two weeks later I received an 8x11 envelope in the mail. The envelope contained a short note from Mrs. Maloney thanking me for my help in resolving their claim and for also remembering her husband's career. She included with the note a glossy picture and baseball card autographed by Jim Maloney.
I’d like to add Lou Burdette and Mark Frydich both of whom carried on continuous and animated conversations with themselves while on the mound.
Did not know this about Lew Burdette. Wiki: “Burdette was a very fidgety pitcher.”
Lew Burdette - Wikipedia
Frydich was the best. He was always talking to himself while he walked around in circles, constantly manicuring the mound, and acting like his whole body was having muscle spasms. He won 30 games one year as a young kid then a shoulder injury ended his career. In a fitting end he fell off his tractor while plowing his farm and it crushed him to death.Did not know this about Lew Burdette. Wiki: “Burdette was a very fidgety pitcher.”
Lew Burdette - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
Being an Indians fan and living in NE Ohio, I got to see him pitch live back when I was in junior high. Having him and his brother as a pitcher duo was a highlight of my Indians memories. Still one of my all time Cleveland Indians favorites from over the years.
Interestingly I lived across the street from his nephew (brother Jim’s son) for 17 years.
Interestingly I lived across the street from his nephew (brother Jim’s son) for 17 years.